Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

It must be said that even from afar, Zhou Wenqing had already left an indelible psychological shadow on the emperor and his officials in Xianyang Palace.

Even a composed emperor like Ying Zheng, and ministers of unparalleled wisdom like Li Si and Wei Liao, couldn't help but feel uneasy when they heard that he had sent a letter—fearing that some heart-stopping words would appear on that thin piece of paper.

This time, however, the guards didn't deliver a thin letter, but a huge stack of files, so he had to present them with both hands.

In a way, this was also Ying Zheng's "achievement".

His beloved minister Zhou Aiqing was like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins; once he was out of sight, he was beyond his control. He had no choice but to order Fusu and Zhou Wenqing to record in detail everything that happened outside every day and send it back to Xianyang regularly, no matter how small, so that he could have peace of mind.

The reason for not letting Zhou Wenqing write alone was to prevent him from using euphemisms and downplaying the important points. Having Fusu's letter would also provide some corroboration.

Thus, the master and apprentice also had an extra task of "writing assignments" every day.

Ying Zheng reached out and took the stack of letters and scrolls, casually spreading them out on his desk, his brows unconsciously furrowing slightly.

The files were completely unmarked, making it impossible to distinguish which belonged to Zhou Aiqing and which to Fusu. They had to be opened one by one to identify them.

What a hassle. That brat Fusu is so clueless. Why doesn't he know to be more self-aware and make a mark so I don't have to go through all this trouble?

Fusu, thousands of miles away, sneezed twice, completely unaware that he had just been severely disliked by his most beloved father.

Ying Zheng casually raised his hand to Li Si and Wei Liao. The two exchanged a glance, understanding each other without saying a word. They immediately stepped forward and stood around the imperial desk. The three of them, the emperor and his ministers, were in perfect harmony. Each of them picked up a letter and opened it to read it quickly and decisively.

Ying Zheng casually picked up the top letter, glanced at it, and saw that the handwriting was upright and dignified, yet not lacking in grandeur. Every stroke was just right, clearly the gentle and proper handwriting of Fusu.

He remained calm and composed, casually setting the letter aside before reaching for the next one.

No rush with my own kid, I'll see later.

Li Si, on the other hand, had an exceptionally good hand. With a casual tug, he pulled out and opened Zhou Wenqing's free-spirited, unrestrained, and elegant calligraphy.

He wrote the entire piece in one go, first greeting the king, then describing the scenery along the way and the lives of the people, but not much about himself.

Li Si smiled knowingly, which was typical of Zi Cheng.

I was only halfway through reading when my hand suddenly went empty.

Li Si was taken aback, then quickly realized what was happening and looked up—

As expected, the king was holding that all-too-familiar letter in his hand, and beside him, three or four opened letters were neatly stacked, all bearing the handwriting of the eldest son. Li Si's lips twitched slightly.

Well... Your Majesty's luck is really something else. I guess it's true that father and son are of one mind.

"It's absolutely impossible to take it back," Li Si sighed helplessly. He lowered his head, picked up another letter, opened it, and saw Zhou Wenqing's casual handwriting. He couldn't help but smile slightly.

Sure enough, he and Zicheng were the most in sync—they were even more accurate at opening letters than others!

On the other side, Ying Zheng lowered his head to read the letter carefully. His gaze lingered on the lines, and when he saw the sentence, "Your Majesty, I am concerned for your well-being and do not know if you are eating or drinking properly these days," a warmth welled up in his heart, and his expression softened. However, he feigned displeasure and gave a light snort, scolding:

"At least he remembers to pay his respects. Disobeying orders and running off on his own, I thought he was indulging in the leisurely life in the mountains and had long forgotten about the court in Xianyang and me!"

"Zicheng is the one who misses the King the most and longs for Xianyang the most."

Wei Liao smiled and replied, then handed the letter in his hand to Ying Zheng. "These few words, besides inquiring about Your Majesty's well-being, contain nothing else."

Ying Zheng reached out and took it, unfolded it, glanced at it, and nodded in satisfaction.

Just as Wei Liao had said, there were only three simple lines on the paper, all words of concern: "Is Your Majesty sleeping well lately? Is Your Majesty eating well? Is Xianyang peaceful? I am very worried about you."

Then it dawned on him, and he raised an eyebrow: Hmm, something's not right! How come it's just three lines of text?

If Zhou Wenqing knew, he would probably cry foul: What do you mean by "merely"? Three lines are plenty! Even writing an essay every day can lead to a lack of vocabulary, you know. Besides, a day's journey is limited, and there's no need to go into detail about the various aspects of life along the way every day!

Li Si shook his head helplessly: "Zicheng is getting more and more perfunctory."

At first glance, the letter in his hand was only half-written, and the content and format were exactly the same: greetings, scenery, people's livelihood, Ah Zhu... Ah Zhu?!

Li Si felt a little guilty, so he secretly folded the letter back to its original position and "consciously" pushed it in front of the king.

Fortunately, the king did not require them to reply, otherwise, thinking of how busy Ah-Zhu has been lately... I really wouldn't know how to begin writing!

A pang of conscience struck Li Si, who pondered whether he should lighten A-Zhu's workload.

Then I thought of the mountain of official documents piled up on my desk...

Sigh! He's training disciples for Zicheng. How can he be so pampered at such a young age? Besides, Zicheng personally instructed him to have a bowl of milk porridge every day, and he hasn't stopped giving this kid that much.

It's because this kid doesn't like to drink it!

He, Li Si, is definitely not someone who mistreats children! Even if Zi Cheng comes back, he dares to say this with his head held high, and Zi Cheng would definitely agree... right?

A chill ran down Li Si's spine. He touched his neck and began to seriously consider the likelihood that he would immediately feign illness and close his residence to avoid trouble once Zhou Wenqing returned.

Meanwhile, as the number of letters on the table decreased, Ying Zheng, Li Si, and Wei Liao gradually figured out the pattern. They would pick the ones that looked thinner at first glance and lighter when they touched them, and they were right every time.

Ying Zheng leaned back in his chair, holding the thin letter he had just "intercepted" from Wei Liao in his hand. He glanced at the few words and shook his head helplessly.

His beloved minister Zhou has become increasingly cunning since leaving Xianyang, even taking advantage of my loopholes and being so blatantly perfunctory.

Before long, all the thin envelopes had been picked out, and what remained were thick stacks, which were undoubtedly reports from the eldest son to the king.

Li Si and Wei Liao exchanged a glance, neither intending to look any further. Each had official duties to attend to, so they immediately fell silent, stood up, bowed, and took their leave.

Ying Zheng nodded casually in agreement, and casually picked out the thickest letter from the stack. Having spent so much time on this, he decided to read this one first before continuing to deal with state affairs.

The moment his gaze fell upon them, the king's imposing presence overwhelmed his ministers, and he blurted out an angry rebuke:

"How dare you!"

A cold shout echoed through the hall, and the atmosphere instantly froze.

Li Si and Wei Liao froze, their feet barely touching the ground before they abruptly stopped. They turned around in unison, their eyes filled with terror, their hearts leaping into their throats.

Zicheng! ! !